The present invention relates generally to the field of bras and related garments and in particular to a new and useful pad product which gradually thickens from the neckline to the bottom of the cup portion for use in bras, camisoles, slips or any other breast covering garment where padding is desired.
Pads having varying thicknesses and methods for making such pads are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,896,631 discloses a bra pad of synthetic plastic foam having a thick lower portion which fits beneath the breast and elevates the breast, a downwardly directed flange on the lower edge of the lower portion, and an upper portion which is firmer and thinner than the lower portion. The bra is made by subjecting a flat sheet stock of foam material to heat and pressure in a mold in order to compress the various parts. The breast pad is placed inside a bra cup made of inner and outer layers of cloth.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,164,655 discloses a method of making breast pads with varying thickness. Two blanks having an identical configuration of a cone shape are cut from a block of polyurethane foam and then placed side by side. The blanks are fastened together by adhesive, with their adjacent edges slightly overlapping. The blanks are then placed simultaneously within a mold having male and female portions that form the pattern of a complete bra front. Different portions of the pads are compressed to a greater or lesser degree during the molding operation. The edges of the pad are subjected to greater pressure and the center portions are compressed less in order to provide a softer area of greater thickness. A layer of cloth may be laminated to one or both sides of the blank during the molding operation of the blanks. Excessive material is then trimmed from the edges.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,023 discloses a method for making a bra pad having a heavy section on the bottom portion of the pad for providing support to a breast, and a thinner tapered section on the upper portion of the pad so that the pad will blend into the top of the breast.
The process for making the pad includes the steps of folding a blank lengthwise and making a transverse cut, folding over diagonal portions along the transverse cut, and then folding the blank again so that a cone shaped pad is formed so that one end of the cone shaped pad contains the overlapping folded portions and is thus much thicker than the other end. The transition between the thick section and the thinner section is not abrupt because of the tapered edges formed by the transverse cut. The pad is then placed in a mold having the desired contour and is compressed to assume the shape of the mold. The overlapping double layered section remains thicker. In the last step, excess material is trimmed away.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,502,083 discloses a bra pad having a lower portion that is thicker than its upper portion. A vertical cut is made into a blank and opposite sides of the blank are twisted into overlapping relationship deforming the blank from a flat shape to a conical shape and forming a three-quarter pad. The entire lower portion of the pad blank comprises a double layer of material, while the upper portion comprises a single layer of material. The pad blank is then molded to shape in a two-part mold having the shape and contour of the desired finished pad.
There is still a need for a method for providing a bra pad which is thickest at the bottom cup area and which becomes gradually thinner as the neckline is approached, wherein the neckline of the pad blends into the skin. There is a need for providing such a pad in a simple manner without cutting and folding steps or cone-shaped pre-forms.